US authorizes commercial ferry services to Cuba

Yahoo – AFP, 5 May 2015

US flags are seen in a bici-taxi near the capitol in Havana, Cuba,

on January 23, 2015 (AFP Photo/Yamil Lage)

Washington (AFP) - The United States authorized commercial ferry services to Cuba for the first time in more than a half-century on Tuesday, another major step in improving relations between the two countries.

The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control lifted the ban and at least one Florida company confirmed it had been licensed to launch boat services to the island.

That adds to the charter air services that had been permitted up until now, focused on enabling Cuban-Americans to visit families.

Joseph Hinson, president of Miami-based United Americas Shipping Services, confirmed his company had received permission from the Treasury to provide ferry travel.

"Today's action was a great step forward," he told AFP, while saying other permissions were still needed from authorities in both countries before launching the first trip.

Whether by plane or ferry, American travelers still have to come under one of 12 categories permitted in the landmark easing of US sanctions announced by the White House in December -- including family visits, official government business, humanitarian projects and sports gatherings.

The ferries will also be allowed to carry cargo to the communist island, which sits just 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the southern tip of Florida.

On December 17, US President Barack Obama broke a nearly six-decade Cold War-rooted estrangement between the two countries by lifting sanctions on travel and some trade as the first step toward normalizing relations.